Tube closure



C. B. COOPER TUBE CLOSURE April 3, 195-1 Filed Dec. 11, 1946 Patented Apr. 3, 1951 TUBE CLOSURE Cedric E. Cooper, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application December 11, 1345, Serial No. 715,572 7 Claims. (Cl. 220-305) This invention relates to improvements closures for tubes of the type used for shaving cream, tooth paste, and other plastic materials.

This invention is particularly designed for tooth paste and shaving cream tubes which are in constant use. At present, the difliculty is that when the tops or closures of these tubes are removed, they have to be placed on something. This often results in their loss altogether or they are forgotten and the contents of the tubes left exposed to the for some time. Also, they are frequently dropped, causing much inconvenience and loss of time.

The main purpose of this invention is to provide a closure for tubes of this nature which will remain on the tube after it has been removed from the neck of the latter, which does not cause any inconvenience or delay to the user, and which will not add materially to the cost of manufacturing the tubes.

With the above and other ohjects in view, the present invention consists essentially of a closure for tubes having a compri ing a cap adapted to fit over the neck, means for raising the cap to top of the neck, and means for receiving the cap on reaching the top of the neck when it is free therefrom, as more fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figures 1 to 4: show one form of the invention, with. the cap in different positions,

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical secticn'through the cap and tube neck,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of an alternative form of the invention,

Figures 7 and 8 show another alternative, and

Figure 9 is an elevation of the cap shown in Figures 7 and 8.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 I3 is a tube having the usual neck ii and i2 is a can adapted to fit over said neck. Suitable means is provided for'raising the cap to the top of the neck in less than one revolution. One way of accomplishing this is to provide the neck and the cap with co-operating threads, and Figures 3 and 5 clearly illustrate this. The neck ii is formed with spaced spiral threads If; and i5 extending approximately half way therearound, and the cap is formed internally with co-operating spaced spiral threads H and iii. All these threads preferably are rectangular in cross section, and

' the threads I 5 and it have horizontal upper ends is spaced below the top of the neck, while the threads ii and i5, which also extend approximately half way around the cap, have horizontal 2 lower ends 29 spaced above its lower edge. in ure 1, the wall or" the cap has been broken air-lay to show its threads.

When the cap is normally the neck, as rhown Figure 1, its internal threads engage the neck threads to prevent ver' cal displacement thereof, and when the cap is turned in the right direction, the threads ill and i3 ride up the threads it and It until the ends 28 of the former are in line with the upper ends is of the later, at which time the cap will not rise any further it rotated. When in this uppe 'niost position, the cap is rotated horizontally to move the ends 25 on to the ends so. This action takes place while the cap moves through less than one complete revolution.

cap 52 is formed with a lug projecting from one side thereof and this lug carries a pin 35 extending outwardly therefrom adjacent its lower edge. on top of the tube adjacent the neck l i a hole formed therein preferably near its inner upper corner. This hole is arranged so that when the thread ends 26 of the cap ride on the thread ends i9, the pin 3! will enter said hole as the cap is rotated, see Figure 2. In Figures 1 to a guard 35 is mounted on topof the tube spaced from th support ,3. This guard has a hovel 33 at the upper end thereof. The guard is shorter than the support 3-3 so that w en the cap is moved into its uppermost positionon the neck, the lower edge of the lug iii! just clears the guard but said lug engages the support.

At the moment the threads of the cap clear the neck threads, the pin 35 is just at the entrance of the hole 3%, and when the cap is rotated furthe r, the ends ride in the ends is and the pin enters the hole. The cap is then free on the neck and may be pivoted back on the support, as shown in Figure 3. At this time, the lug enters the space between the support and the guard so that the latter prevents the pin from being withdrawn from the hole. In this way, the cap is carried by the support and it is clear of the tube neck.

Thus, to open the tube, it is only necessary to rotate the cap until its lug engages the support and then to pivot the cap away from the neck. To close the tube, the cap is pivoted back on to the neck and then rotated in the opposite direction to the first rotation until it is in its lowermost position.

In Figure 6, the guard 35 is omitted and a guard 38 is mounted on the lug parallel with A vertical support 33 is mounted and spaced from the latter and from the support 33. The cap is removed and replaced in this alternative as described above, but when it is pivoted away from the neck, the guard and the lug overlap the support, one on each side thereof, so that the pin 3! cannot be withdrawn from the hole 34 of the support.

Figures 7, 8 and 9 show an alternative in which the vertical support 33 is formed with an elongated hole 46 and the pin 3! of the lug has a corresponding guard or key M on its outer end. When the cap I2 is rotated in its uppermost position, the guard or key 4| passes through the support hole 40, leaving the pin 3! therein, and when the cap is pivoted away from the neck II, the guard or key lies across the hole, see Figure 8, so that the pin 3i cannot be withdrawn therefrom. The cap is replaced on the neck as described above.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A closure for tubes having a neck, comprising a cap adapted to fit over the neck, means for raising the cap to the top of the neck, a lug projecting outwardly from the cap, a vertical support fixedly mounted on the top of the tube adjacent the neck, and means on the lug for engaging the support when the cap reaches the top of the neck when it is free of the latter, said cap being adapted to be pivoted on the support away from the neck.

2. A closure for tubes having a neck, comprising a cap adapted to fit over the neck, co-operat ing threads on the neck and in the cap for raising the latter on rotation to the top of the former, a lug projecting outwardly from the cap, a vertical support fixedly mounted on the top of the tube adjacent the neck, and a pin on the lug for engaging the support when the cap reaches the top of the neck when it is free of the latter, said cap being adapted to be pivoted on the support away from the neck.

3. A closure for tubes having a neck, comprising a cap adapted to fit over the neck, co-operating threads on the neck and in the cap for raising the latter on rotation to the top of the former, a lug projecting outwardly from the cap, a vertical support fixedly mounted on the top of the tube adjacent the neck, said support having a hole formed therein, a pin extending outwardly from the side of the lug positioned to be in line with the support hole when the cap reaches the top of the neck when it is free of the latter, said cap being adapted to be pivoted on its pin away from the neck after said spin is moved into the hole.

4. A closure for tubes having a neck, comprising a cap adapted to fit over the neck, co-operating threads on the neck and in the cap for raising the latter on rotation to the top of the former, a lug projecting outwardly from the cap, a vertical support fixedly mounted on the top of the tube adjacent the neck, said support having a hole formed therein, a pin on the lug which enters the support hole when the cap reaches the top of the neck when it is free of the latter and the lug is moved against the side of the support, and a guard adapted to co-operate with the lug and support, said guard preventing the pin from being withdrawn from the hole when the cap is pivoted on said pin away from the neck.

5. A closure for tubes having a neck, comprising a cap adapted to fit over the neck, co-operating threads on the neck and in the cap for raising the latter on rotation to the top of the former, a lug projecting outwardly from the cap, a vertical support fixedly mounted on the top of the tube adjacent the neck, said support having a hole formed therein, a pin on the lug which enters the support hole when the cap reaches the top of the neck when it is free of the latter and the lug is moved against the side of the support, and a guard mounted on the top of the tube spaced from the support, said guard being shorter than the support, and the lug moving between the guard and support when the cap is pivoted away from the neck. r

6. A closure for tubes having a neck, comprising a cap adapted to fit over the neck, co-operating threads on the neck and in the cap for raising the latter on rotation to the top of the former, a lug projecting outwardly from the cap, a vertical Support fixedly mounted on the top of the tube adjacent the neck, said sup-port having a hole formed therein, a pin on the lug which enters the support hole when the cap reaches the top of the neck when it is free of the latter and the lug is moved against the side of the support, a guard mounted on the lug and spaced there from, the lug and guard overlapping the support when the cap is pivoted away from the neck.

7. A closure for tubes having a neck, comprising a cap adapted to fit over the neck, cooperating threads on the neck and in the cap for raising the latter on rotation to the top of the former, a lug projecting outwardly from the cap, a vertical support mounted on the top of the tube adjacent the neck, said support having an elongated hole formed therein, a pin on the lug, a key on the outer end of the pin which passes through the support hole when the cap reaches the top of the neck when it is free of the latter, said key retaining the cap on the support when it is pivoted away from the neck.

CEDRIC B. COOPER.

REFERENCES CETED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,488,129 Nellis Mar. 25, 1924 1,734,367 Crary Nov, 5, 1929 1,761,427 Crary June 3, 1930 2,085,176 Warner June 29, 1937 2,355,377 Hustad Aug. 8, 1944 

